Friday Morning Hot Links

So now we're in the stage of the off-season where everyone is happy to be a part of the organization, disappointed the season ended too quickly, needing some time to think about the future. Let's see who said what on the first full day of the off-season:

Hinch is not satisfied with the season:
We got beat out in Game 5 of the Division Series and that's not what we set out to do when we got to Spring Training. That'll be what drives us into the future.

Luhnow said he will bring back the entire coaching staff:
Expectations will be higher, clearly, based on what we accomplished. We're pleased with the progress of the team, we're pleased with the progress of the organization. 

Luhnow, on the 2016 roster:
We have a lot of good players on the team this year. We have a lot of good players in our system that are still coming, but there's going to be an impressive list of free agents out there. As a front office, we're going to reflect on the players we have. We have some decisions to make in the near term as far as options and who we are retaining and so forth - but less than most teams do because most of our players are under control.

Rasmus is focusing on resting up and getting in the woods, all other free agents at least acted like they wanted to come back to Houston (not that Rasmus didn't).

*Between two postseason games, a cricket match in November, and a longer process than the Astros envisioned, Tal's Hill will remain at Minute Maid Park for 2016.

*The 1st inning Yordano Ventura pitch in Game 4 that hit Carlos Correa left a bruise so severe he couldn't button his shirt the next morning, but he projects an aura of maturity, writes JP Morosi.

*It's time for the Astros to pay up, writes Brian T. Smith:
Not ridiculous, narcissistic Los Angeles Dodgers dough. Not old, blue-blood New York Yankees greenbacks. But smart, modern cash to lift the Astros up by their limited financial bootstraps and insert them into at least the middle class of the game's overinflated financial market. 

*Bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte was the Classiest Astro after Game 5. (But I'm still waiting on some Ramgers pitcher to take offense to it).

*Royals fan and excellent writer Rany Jazayerli takes on the 2015 Royals season. Read it, admire it, and then get mad that the Astros managed to blow three multi-run leads in a five-game series.